Ohio State Football's Mantra, E+R=O, will be Tested this Season

Tim Kight was the first person that came across my mind when I heard about Braxton Miller re-injuring his shoulder. Which is weird, because Braxton Miller is an industrious Ohio State quarterback, and Tim Kight is an old-school track-and-field star at UCLA who looks like he could saunter through a triathlon tomorrow.

For the last two years, however, Kight's organization, the Dublin-based Focus 3, has been working on culture-building with Ohio State's football team. Their on-going goal is to a build a complete brotherhood of trust within the team and develop a devout faith in the power of the unit.

Urban Meyer is such a fervent believer, he sunk what Tim Kight calls an "unprecedented" amount of time into leadership training during spring practice.

"It has been one of the most profound experiences I’ve been around as far as teaching these guys a systematic approach to teaching leadership, which we’ve always tried to teach,” Urban told Eleven Warriors in July 2013. “I’m 49 years old, and I’ve learned more from those leadership classes than the players.”

Tim Kight, along with his son Brian, are not trying to re-invent the wheel with their teachings. Rather, they're part of a new-school of thinking some football coaches — like Urban Meyer's friend, Chip Kelly — are tapping to gain an advantage against wrong-headed but entrenched beliefs within football coaching.

Talent and physicality can only take a team so far in football. The true champion, Urban Meyer and the Kights argue, comes to the field mentally prepared as well.

You can't stop challenges. The question is, 'Are you strong enough to step up and respond?'– Tim Kight, CEO of focus 3

Brian Kight illuminated it beyond coachspeak. "[The] pulse of the team is both resilient and purpose-driven.

"[Braxton's] a player — a great player, but not their identity. That's what the E+R=O, culture, & the brotherhood of trust work they've been investing in is all about."

Here's how Brian broke down Ohio State's identity:

Relentless Effort (4-to-6, A-to-B)

Competitive Excellence (Mental Reps, Game Reps)

Power of the Unit (Brotherhood of Trust).

"That is who they are with or without any player on the roster. Last year that identity wasn't as strong as it is now. This team knows exactly who they are. Very few teams do."

When asked about the man to replace Miller, redshirt freshman JT Barrett, both Kights were effusive in their praise.

"Unflappable," was how Tim Kight described the Wichita Falls product. "We're going to watch him grow every week." Kight listed his confidence in Barrett's ability to handle the pressure as "extremely high."

As an example, the Kights describe an incident that occurred during their teachings of Ohio State's leadership council (12-13 elder players) in the winter of 2013.

Barrett — the redshirt nothing coming off a high school ACL injury — approached the leadership consultants after the second session. He wanted to sit in the back during meetings and take notes.

"He walked up after the class and said, 'I want to introduce myself. My name is J.T. Barrett, and I really appreciate you allowing me to come and learn from you guys,'" Brian Kight said.

And that's how Joe Thomas Barrett IV became the only freshman allowed in leadership classes last year.

But J.T. didn't stop there. Three weeks later, Barrett wanted to know if it was okay if he was sending the leadership teachings to Rider High School, his alma mater.

"That speaks to the kind of man he is," Tim Kight said.

Brian went even further on his elaboration. "When we were around, [Barrett] was constantly hanging after to talk and listen. Even after workouts in the Shoe he'd sit down with Shazier and Guiton to hear about the team culture and how they were trying to build it."

Kenny Guiton and Ryan Shazier: two proper teachers. Hell, Guiton became a legend with 134 passes and an unshakable preparedness.

The precarious thing about leadership training, however, is the true tests happen on-the-fly and on the field. But this is not the 2011 team that staggered to a 6-7 season after losing Jim Tressel and Terrelle Pryor.

No, the 2014 Buckeyes have been preparing for something like this. And preparation, as they say, is the cousin of success.

"It's all about making your response bigger than any event you face," Tim Kight told me. "It's about deeply-held beliefs."

J.T. Barrett and the players in the locker room certainly have the look of true believers.

Kenny just has that feel about him, doesn't he? Outsiders hear that and think you're deluded beyond crazy. But if it happens Buckeye fans will be thinking something like: "Uh-huh. Great things are destined to happen when you apply the principle over a long period of time that preparation meeting opportunity creates success. "

I think what's mentioned above: an almost "cultish" belief in a system and in each other, is going to go a long way. I think we saw some of this come out late in the season (i.e. against TTUN) but may not have seen it as much in the last two games. Adversity isn't something they dealt with well in the those last two games. I will be really interested to see how this shows up from our younger guys when it counts.

If I see EZE or Barrett in someones ear picking them up when something goes wrong, I will know now where that comes from. This TEAM may just show the entire world what the true meaning of TEAM is this year. Even if they drop a game or 2, how they respond the next week and next year could be absolutely astounding.

Nice work by UFM working to change a stereotypical culture into something real and tangible.

I know that everyone is big on Elliott, but I still think that the 5th year senior, Rod Smith is the best back on the squad....so I'm with you, I just hope that Rod Smith is getting at least 10-15 carries a game and he is the one the RB corps listens to. Losing Miller definitely did not kill the Buckeye's chances and the players that the Buckeyes have in almost every position on each side of the ball should be top notch help. Ohio State STILL should be the odds on favorite to win the Big Ten and Barrett (and/or Jones) will be a big part of their success. Losing Miller hurts of course, but think about what it would mean at Ohio State next season if Barrett and/or Jones show up big...and I think they will, whether it is Barrett, Jones, or a combination of both...and then Miller returns.

BTN surely are giving Ohio State almost no chance. BIG MISTAKE!!! I try to not watch to see what ESPN thinks, but those bastards are everywhere. The Buckeyes and the Big Ten as a whole should be good this season.

The one thing people keep forgetting about Brax going down. He's effectively been out since January. Every snap and team activity has been with JT and Cardale at the helm. It's definitely not as if those guys got zero reps before Brax's injury.

I remember a story last year on Nick Foles that spoke about how Texas HS QBs are so much more developed than most other states because of the warmer weather, stronger school districts with good coaches and also because of they just develop QBs better. JT is from Texas. (Keeping fingers crossed that's true).

"Sherman ran an option play right through the south" - Greatest Civil War analogy EVER.

What a fantastic point, friend. I agree; JT and Cardale are as prepared as any backups can possibly be. (And are probably BETTER prepared than many. Not just because they are Buckeyes and we rule, but because Miller has been out for so long. Things would be VERY different if Miller went down five games in or something.)

The injury to Braxton Miller can't be seen as a good thing by anyone, really, but there are a few positives in our favor. Our backups have had time to prepare. JT is from a place where it's hot, hot, hot. Ohio State has a history of world-class backup QBs (I'm a Kenny G fan). Urban Meyer is a great coach and he employs top-notch position coaches.

So no one is happy about what's happened, but I guess it could be worse. And thanks for making a good point to help reassure me.

Proud alumnus of the Ohio State Creative Writing MFA Program. Creator of the writing craft site Great Writers Steal.

It's funny now living in the south since leaving ohio 14 years ago how it is still stereotyped up north. The fact is, other than OSU the reds and skyline, The state of Texas has a whole hell of a lot more going for it than any state in the Midwest (women, jobs, weather, taxes, women).

No shit Ibuck. I lived in Arlington,Texas in the early 90's and one summer we had over ninety days consecutive of over a 100 degree's. It was down right miserable if you wasnt in a swimming pool. I'll take Ohio's weather every day of the year over Texas's.

My son was a runner, UNTIL he lived in Dallas. He took a job there and he said jogging almost killed him, so he quit being a runner, That summer Dallas set a record for the most consecutive days with highs of over 100 degrees, it was weeks. He quit the job after a year and moved back to normalcy.

So yes south Texas is pretty hot and I live in Atlanta which isn't all that different from southern ohio except for winter (women and all the other things I mentioned). Last I checked much of the Midwest is uninhabitable three months of the year (lookin at you Chicago).

Heat? Yes. Hottest I've ever seen in the U.S. was when I was stationed in Lubbock...it was 115 degrees once. (hottest I've ever experienced was one summer during the year I spent in central Iraq...regularly got up into the mid and upper 120s). Worst weather was the heat AND humidity when I lived in Pensacola.

Southbuc I live in Austin, TX and while there are some nice things down here, its pretty much the same as Columbus. The same size, traffic issues, summer:winter, large college town. Differences? Austin's economy is thriving and the city outgrowing its infrastructure. Football games in Columbus are about 5x louder and more fun to attend. And the women? There are some good looking ones down here, BUT also a lot of anorexic runner types. So, yes the economy is growing and TX is becoming overcrowded.

Hearing J.T. wanted in on the leadership classes speaks volumes about his character and desire to be a leader on this team. The more I read about him the more confident I feel about him. I'm ready for next Saturday.

Our team was good but losing a couple games we shouldn't. Our best player got hurt and it galvanized our team and we went on a tear all the way to the state semis. Everybody seemed to elevate their game and the ball was in the hands of others far more often...rather than a majority of the time in our star guards possession.

It will be quite intriguing watching Barrett mature as a QB throughout the season. I think two intangibles that may help him from the outset will be not being tentative, and relax and have fun. He knows the game of football, Roll with it............

Good point. Guiton was always having fun. That was a big part of his leadership style. There are many ways to lead; Bill Russell was maybe the greatest leader in organized sports and he threw up before every game because of the nerves. Whatever JTs style is, the more I hear about him, the more I'm sure he's gonna be a great leader.

After the initial shock from Braxton's injury the more I read about J.T. the better I feel about this season - not just his physical abilities, but his character and leadership on and off the field. One thing is certain though - having one of our most talented QBs of all time help from the sidelines will be invaluable to his progression during the season.

Here are my observations/expectations because I'm all giddy reading about JT despite feeling crushed earlier this week with Braxton:

1. Game 1 will be a 'check the box' game where he starts painting strokes of confidence in his game and builds some momentum with the help of his talented teammates

2. Game 2 will be a reality check and a big 'welcome to the real deal' initiation where he is going to be up against a team that has had a chance to scout us in real time and force him into uncomfortable situations - E+R = O will be big here since we will see how he responds

3. Game 3 will be an opportunity to gain more confidence and show that he has learned from the mistakes he made under the pressure of a team like VTech - I see a good amount of confidence and momentum being built at this point, and the true beginnings of the 2014 team gameday identity at this point

4. Game 4 - will be when everyone is going to be happy to see how good of a game manager he is against Cinci as our defense will likely lead the way in the headlines.

5. Game 5 - similar to game 4, but may be called on to show how he can lead and respond with some scoring drives to Maryland's Stefon Diggs giving our Defense a good test

6. Game 6 - when slutgers, I mean Rutgers, rolls around, he is going to start looking like the stud we hoped he would be with the experience of 5 games under his belt

7. Game 7-12 - the heart of our championship run... hold onto your seats and watch him show us what a special player he is and why he earned 'Guiton-ish' praise from Myers.

Bring on the season already - Can't wait to go crazy watching the season unfold this year!

"I don't apologize for anything. When I make a mistake, I take the blame and go on from there." - Woody Hayes

I just hope we don't get mired in a two QB situation. I saw Joe Germaine, Troy Smith, and Miller lose too much playing time when coaches couldn't make up their minds on what kind of offense they wanted to run. When I think about 3/4 of the best QBs we have had in the last 20 years being platooned, I will never be convinced a tandem QB is the best option.

Not using this as a negative, but it seems we are trying to convince ourselves that J.T. can get the job done when we should know it already. The young man was highly touted, good enough to be at a major university, and was hand picked by Herman. He'll get the job done.

Optimism has a way of looking like desperation at times. But optimism is all we can have considering our starting QB has never thrown a pass in college.

To be honest though, at this point would Braxton really be better for the offense than JT? It's been almost 6 months since Braxton has played at game-speed. Couldn't help but feel like all of those first-team reps at QB were a waste if Brax had returned. Now at least we have some closure in knowing that our starting QB will be well prepared and there won't be a "rust" factor.

I think this can be a top 10 team without Brax, but we're going to know exactly where our NC hopes stand after the VT game. Should be one of those years where we see steady progress every game, but I expect some bumps along the road. A RS Frosh isn't going to have a perfect season (yeah I know, Johnny Football and Famous Jameis). This season Urban will have some work to do to show that he's the best coach in the country, in-game management with a young QB is everything. Urb will have to read his confidence levels, tell JT to let it fly when he's feeling good, understand when you can test his resolve, and just realize when it's not his day and put the other talent to work. You gotta bring him along slowly, but at the same time JT is here to win. And he will.

How many cheeseburgers are you gunna drive into that dirty old cheeseburger locker Brady Hoke?

Those "bumps" as you call are why I'm thinking that the D line will be able to bail us out of any that come along in the road via turnover or less than great game. Pass rushes make other teams make mistakes

OK... I've been trying for days (ever since the Braxton news) to figure out why I am now more excited about this season than I was before. With your indulgence, I think I can explain.

First, we no longer have that Sword of Damocles hanging over our heads - as in "what do we do if Braxton gets hurt". For better or worse, we have been forced into that decision now. I think that kind of certainty is an overall positive in that we no longer have to expend energy with 'what ifs" and can concentrate on moving forward.

Second, how is the situation with OSU and JT Barrett that much different than FSU and Jameis Winston last year? Does Winston possess a stronger arm? Yes - but how often do you chuck the ball that far in a game? I would say less than 1/3 of a QB throws actually require that kind of strength. The majority of throws in a game require accuracy and finesse. I believe that JTB is more skilled than Winston in this regard, at worst he's at least as good. FSU and Winston won last year because they had weak opponents, a talented and confident QB, and a very talent rich team around him. With the exception of a weak schedule, I think this sounds very much like our situation now. Add to that, as excellent a coach as I believe Jimbo Fischer to be, I know Urban Meyer is better.

Third, as much as I love what #5 has done for Ohio State over the past 3 years, I believe his extraordinary running ability has hindered his development as a passing QB, and has led to a reliance on the part of the coaches and team to depend and even expect that ability to save the day way too often. What would the outcome have been if Braxton had been dinged on third down and Kenny Guiton had been the QB for that 4th down play against MSU? You know the answer - they very likely would have given the rock to "El Guapo" and we likely would have been Big Ten champions and have a shot as FSU.

Lastly, this is now year 3 of the Urban Legend and this is now 85% his team. Barrett, Wilson, Lee, Thomas (et al) are all players he recruited, and the upperclassmen that he did not recruit have all had the majority of their starting time under his watch. I believe that this team has finally internalized his philosophy (as express as E+R=O above) and is ready to put that philosophy into action. You combine that kind of attitude with the immense talent this team possesses and I believe we are in for something very special this year. I'm not saying that we will not falter or stumble, but I do believe in my heart of hearts that this is going to be a spectacular year and that by the end, those pundits who are downplaying us now will be either hailing us as they did FSU at the end of last year or expressing amazement at how close we came.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
- Albert Einstein

This is one of the opportunities that make sport all worth-while for me. Think about the opportunity for life lessons from this. Not just for the players, but us fans as well.

Life is going to throw adversity your way. Bank on it. Sometimes that adversity is from an expected source, like a rival team, or injuries. Sometimes it's from someone you trust with all your heart. Now, how do you and your team respond.

You have to find the right balance between taking care of your responsibilities. Being so good (individually), there is no sag in the net to carry your weight. Occassionaly, you'll have to pick up slack in the net when a team-mate inevitably falls/fails. And appreciating your team-mate when the opposite inevitably happens.

Think about how hard it is to balance the competition between players on the same team. Most of us probably played high-school, no higher. So we've never experienced the yin-yang of competing fiercely (equivalent to a full-time job) against a team-mate for a position, but then having to root for that team-mate's success when he's on the field.

On a personal note, my life took a turn about 8 years ago. Lost my job, I had to sell what once was a million dollar real-estate investment, had to withdraw all my 401k savings, lived out of my car or cheap flophouse type places for about a year. I was unemployed for about 5 years. I won't go into all the melodrama, but I will say that I'm on the road back. Finally got a job about 2 years ago and am in a good place getting better. The only thing that kept me going thru about 7 years of hell, is the stubborness in my DNA, and my coaches voice ringing thru my head, Never give up! and it doesn't matter how many times you get knocked down, what matters is how many times you get back up.

Regardless of the outcome of this season, I believe this will be the buckeye team that will rival 2002 for my heart. I'm not expecting anything result-wise. Regardless of whether we're B1G champs, or 3rd in the East, whatever. I'm going to really enjoy watching this team this year, and Braxton next year.

THE BIG difference between Braxton and JT is that JT can get 5-10 yards when he makes the correct read to keep instead of give. Where on the same play Braxton goes for a TD. Braxton = 4.32 Forty, JT = 4.7 Forty. He must be a better passer than Braxton to compensate.

This even furthers my belief that the buckeyes will use the loss of Braxton as motivation to do better and to win. I can't wait for the season to start just to see that motivation unfold and turn into victory. I truly believe that JTIV and the buckeyes will fare well this season! Go Bucks!